We're an independent, student-run newsroom.

The Daily Californian covers the city of Berkeley and the campus in unparalleled detail, all while training the future of the journalism industry.
Consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the face of Berkeley.

A handful of protesters celebrated the one month anniversary of the Occupy Cal demonstrations Friday afternoon with a “birthday party” outside UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau’s on-campus residence.

After departing from Sproul Plaza at around 3:20 p.m., about 15 demonstrators made their way to a patch of dirt across the street from the chancellor’s home, where they established a makeshift encampment adorned with streamers, balloons and Occupy art brought over from Sproul.

UC Berkeley senior Nick Lake, who has played a prominent role as an artist in maintaining Occupy Cal’s visibility, was tasked with making the setup visible to Birgeneau’s home.

Lake’s decorations — the focal point of the “birthday party” — included signs in trees and on light poles, such as one that read “Dance with us Birgeneau.” He also draped a tree with pink streamers.

Much of Lake’s work, like the birthday space, has a message of thinking differently that resonates with the global Occupy movement, he said.

“Spaces can motivate new ways of thinking, creativity,” Lake said. “I’m trying to make spaces that favor inspiration.”